Graphic Novels

The term "graphic novel" is inherently problematic, suggesting something both fictional and explicit. I am using it here for the simple reason that it has become an accepted expression, even amongst those writers who deride it.
I have not, as some commentators do, made a distinction here between graphic novels (fiction) and graphic memoirs (autobiography). I see no particular need to do so, and I agree with Ivan Brunetti's idea that:
"In the end, autobiography and fiction are not a dichotomy but a polarity, a continual tug and pull that can never be precisely pinned down and measured."

Arthur Frank (1997:137) suggests that "testimony, with all its commitment to truth and its ability to break through the limits of what its times attend to, is itself another construction ot its times...even as "truth" is told, we now find uncertainty. Even in testimony, conciousness struggles to gain sovereignty over its own experience"

One of the great things about the comics medium is its self conciousness and percieved artificiality that lies at the heart of graphic language. This makes comic books an ideal medium to call attention to how the world is represented in texts of all kinds. (Versaci 2007:13)

If you are interested in Graphic Fiction and/or Medicine, please register as a member. You can then use the forum and I will send you occasional news and updates.